Public water system · NC0187010
ActiveBryson City, Town of
At a glance
Town of Bryson City (PWSID NC0187010) is an active community water system in Swain County, North Carolina. It reports serving 4,395 people through 1,680 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
4,395
Service connections
1,680
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Town of Bryson City compare with other water systems in Swain County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Bryson City is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Swain County has 56 active public water systems, and Town of Bryson City is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 24 times the county average of 182 people per system, and accounts for 43% of the 10,163 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across North Carolina, the 5,087 active systems average 1,971 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Town of Bryson City is about 34% below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. North Carolina has 2,031 active community water systems, 40% of the state's 5,087 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 132 North Carolina systems (2.6%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Town of Bryson City?
EPA lists Town of Bryson City as owned by a local government. The NC state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 5 of the 56 active systems in Swain County (8.9%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Town of Bryson City have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016. The violations listed here began between October 1999 and January 2016. By type: 5 monitoring and reporting, 4 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 3 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (3 of them). EPA lists 11 as resolved and 1 as archived. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2015-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2015-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Acute (TCR) · code 21 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2009-08-19 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Carbon, totalcode 2920 | No | Archived |
| 2005-12-20 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation without NPDWR Violation · code 76 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toxaphenecode 2020 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1999-10-19 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Town of Bryson City: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Bryson City?
Town of Bryson City (PWSID NC0187010) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NC state drinking water program.
How many people does Town of Bryson City serve?
Town of Bryson City reports serving 4,395 people through 1,680 service connections in Swain County, North Carolina.
Where does Town of Bryson City get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does Town of Bryson City have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Town of Bryson City's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2016. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NC state drinking water program.
Where can I find Town of Bryson City's water quality report?
As a community water system, Town of Bryson City must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Swain County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferebee Memorial Park | Swain | 500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| West Swain Elem School | Swain | 450 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| East Swain Elem School | Swain | 440 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Smoky Mtn Country Club Estates | Swain | 318 | Community | Groundwater |
| Time Out Market #23 | Swain | 300 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Whittier Sanitary District | Swain | 252 | Community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Bryson City, Town of, PWSID NC0187010, North Carolina”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/north-carolina/bryson-city-town-of-nc0187010 (data as of October 1, 2026).